You might
have read his intense original stand-alone thrillers, like The Fan, or Nerve Damage,
or the Edgar-nominated Lights Out.

You might
know him from his brilliant Echo Falls YA mysteries. (Yes, I am gushing, but
sometimes one simply must gush.)

After
those riveting and compelling thrillers, and then his smart and perceptive (and
adorable) YAs, Peter Abrahams secretly turned onto someone else. With great
mystery and skullduggery, he wrote, as Spencer Quinn, the first Chet and Bernie
mystery, titled DOG ON IT.

And remember when no one knew the real identity of
the author? It was such a hoot when Peter was revealed as Spencer—and also as the
acclaimed voice of Chet. Chet, a dog who (somehow) narrates the best-selling
novels.

And
now—there’s more. I am in awe. And in delight. And so happy to introduce you to
Peter Abrahams/Spencer Quinn’s new voice. It’s Bowser, a goofy, engaging, determined (and bacon-loving) crime-fighting
canine—who’s in league with his new girl Birdie.

His first adventure is
WOOF. (And I say: bow WOW.)

HANK:
Sometimes, if you look at a crime fiction author's body of work, it
gets darker and darker, as the writer delves into their most insidious and
terrifying depths. Or something like that. Anyway, it seems like you've
gone exactly the opposite direction.

PETER:That is odd, now that you mention it. What the hell is right with me? No
question about the darkness, which really got going with Lights Out, my seventh
book, where Eddie Nye ends up breaking back into prison. Then there’s Oblivion,
where it’s pretty clear that Nick will not survive, and End of Story with that
last line – “Ivy got stuck on page 109”. An entendre of the darkly double type.
But humor kept bubbling up – especially noticeable in Their Wildest Dreams, I
think, where I discovered how much I liked writing about the southwest.

And
that led to Chet and Bernie, where this whole other side of me all of a sudden
had free reign. I’d had enough of darkness!

Having
said that, now that some time has passed, a somewhat darkish idea has occurred
to me, and will form the basis of a new project, when I can get to it. (As for
Chet and Bernie, Scents and Sensibility comes out in July.)

HANK:
So WOOF is the first of we hope many books about Bowser and Birdie, dog
and girl, crimefighters of the Louisiana swamp. What was the first
nugget of the book? When did you think--hey! And why?

PETER:
I thought – hey! – when I got a call asking if I had any interest in writing a
dog-narrated mystery for middle-schoolers. Why? Because it’s so nice to be
asked, in this business. But the idea of a kid and dog pair exploring together the
strange and dangerous world of adult humans seemed right. Then came the bayou
setting, followed by Birdie and her grandmother. Some characters do write
themselves, and Grammy is one of them. She’d have taken over the whole book if
I’d let her.

HANK:
And really, just cut and paste a tiny synopsis of WOOF in the next
slot. You don't have to make up a brand new one, since someone probably
worked pretty hard on the one you have.

PETER:
There is trouble brewing in the Louisiana swamp -- Bowser can smell it. Bowser
is a very handsome and only slightly slobbery dog, and he can smell lots of
things. Like bacon. And rawhide chews! And the sweat on humans when they're
lying.

Birdie
Gaux, the girl Bowser lives with, also knows something is wrong. It's not just
that her grammy's stuffed prize marlin has been stolen. It's the weird rumor
that the marlin is linked to a missing treasure. It's the truck that seems to
be following Birdie and the bad feeling on the back of her neck.

When
Birdie and Bowser start digging into the mystery, not even Bowser's powerful
sniffer can smell just how menacing the threat is. And when the danger comes
straight for Birdie, Bowser knows it up to him to sic 'em.

HANK: Love it! People must ask you this all the time, and I know the answer is "imagination."
But still. How do you put yourself in the mind of a dog? Bowser thinks and
narrates just like a dog. (Funny that he can type. How does he do that?)

PETER:
And I can’t type. Or just barely. Two fingers, three on a good day. I’ve always
been interested in the limited narrator, or limited POV (if we’re dealing with
3rd person close). In Pressure Drop, one of my very early novels
(and soon to be re-released by Open Road), there are scenes from the POV of
someone with locked-in syndrome.

In fairness to Bowser, his limitations are
matched by some special gifts, especially when it comes to the senses of smell
and hearing; and he has some emotional gifts as well. The emotional bond – call
it love – between Bowser and Birdie is the heart of the story. I prefer stories
with a heart, or spirit, or something of the kind. Often absent in fiction, and
not just of the crime variety.

HANK:
This is a YA book--but I laughed all the way through it. Who are you writing
these for? And why?

PETER:
Birdie and Bowser are for kids. But also, well, why not everybody? There’s no
dumbing down. True, no sex and very little seen violence, but that’s not dumb.

HANK:
Your webpage that's labeled "About the book" is a letter to kids who
are looking for you to write a book report. Peter/Spencer, it is hilarious.
(And respectful, and helpful.) I have to think you've gotten requests
to write book reports.

PETER:
Oh, yes. How many times have I been asked to quickly supply the theme of Down
the Rabbit Hole? I don’t have a clue! Grade F. But sometimes you get
heartbreaking stuff. I believe somewhere in the Echo Falls series Ingrid’s
older brother hits her. One girl emailed me about how she knew that scene very
well.

HANK: Oh,
gosh. That is—heart-stopping. It makes you see a whole world, you know? (And
yeah, I always wondered if her brother had a steroid problem.Hmm.)

But at
the end of that wonderful letter you say: a dog’s mindset is looking forward.
But looking back a tiny bit, since part of you, at least, is human, what
do you think about your writer’s journey? Where you came
from--and where you are? And sure, what's ahead?

PETER:
I’m really not ready to think about this, Hank. All I know is that I’m on some
sort of journey and I don’t want it to end.

HANK:Aw. We don’t, either. Congratulations. WOOF
is irresistible, and we are so happy you’re here today. So happy that we’re
giving away a copy of WOOF to one lucky commenter! (US only please). Tell us
your dog’s name! Or the dog you had as a kid.Or your favorite dog. Or any doggie thing!

The cover alone would make me pick up this book! Tiger, a black lab/shepherd mutt--thought he was one of the gang--he'd collect the baseball, the mitts, and the bats in a pile, then stand over them and bark until someone came out to play ball! Or, to amuse himself, push the basketball all around yard with his nose, he'd play hide-n-seek, loved tag, loved hanging out on the couch watching Bowery Boys' reruns and eating popcorn on Saturday mornings... What a dog!

Hey, Peter! WELCOME to Jungle Red! I remember being completely enchanted by Doggone It, the first Chet & Bernie book, not knowing it was you writing it (me: intrepid fan of your work up to that point) and EVEN THOUGH it was narrated by a dog. Because it was such a doggie dog.

I know that I MUST read the book, Peter! My imagination has no trouble accepting that pets can do whatever they want to.

When I was in high school we had a dog named Oliver. He adored the family, especially my dad, but believed that most human beings presented a threat to his humans, who were too stupid to know they were in danger and needed his "help". I still miss him decades later. Long after he died, relatives and friends told us they really hated him, and couldn't understand our devotion to him!

Peter, a family friend who was a writer for 60 years, George Laycock, wrote 53 books and countless articles as freelance, staff writer, and editor of national publications. All with two fingers. On a typewriter, until the early 90's. I was his computer "guru"--whenever he ran into computer trouble he'd call me and we'd work it out together, if we could. I guess you get pretty fast with two fingers, eventually!

My readaholic, 10-year old grandson would love Woof! And I suspect I would, too. The concept of dog as narrator sounds irresistible.

Never was a dog lover. Until hubby snuck that little Pug puppy home for granddaughter's birthday. 12 years later, Pep is an old guy now - arthritis, back surgery, loss of eyesight (actually sounds like hubby) but how did we ever do without him? He and I can read "Woof" together.

Hi Peter and welcome to Jungle Reds! Your book is going to the top of the to-read pile!

When I was a kid, a friend was bitten by dog and so I developed a somewhat irrational fear of all dogs. That all turned around in London in 2000 when I met Duke, a gentle soul of a pit bull. Yes, a pit bull helped this dog-phobic learn to love dogs! He was the absolute best.

Bacon Doggie?Only kidding.My dog growing up was Blackie. She, literally, followed me home. She had great manners, but walked in the door, looked around, and dropped all but the essentials. She even climbed mt apple tree.

Oh dogs. Can't live without them. My current beau is Boo, short for Boolie, not Boudreaux as son and husband claim. I'm sure you remember Boolie was the ideal son in Driving Miss Daisy. We adopted Boo when he was 4; he is 12 now. He barks at my husband if Frank stops to give me any affection or attention. It has turned into a game with those two. If Frank gets out of bed during the night Boo will growl at him when he attempts to return. If he's awake, that is! Boo is a border terrier/mix. He has the face and coat of a border terrier, but a long body and short legs of something else.

Diane Hale here. Peter, how interesting that you're writing from a dog's POV. Have you heard of Roger Zelazny's Night in the Lonesome October? Written in the sole viewpoint of a dog. Back then it was genre fiction--fantasy--now you're able to cross genre lines and appeal to dog lovers of all ages.

I grew up with dogs and have enjoyed multiple breeds, from Heinz 57s to Dobermans and Rottweilers. Our pack includes a pit mix rescue, who's as sweet and loveable as they come.Looking forward to reading your book!

Hank brings up dogs and memory. A great subject and I've had fun with it vis a vis Bowser. But a writer can have fun with human memory, too! I mean the memory of human characters. As for my own memory … I forget where I was going with this.

My parents lived on base in officers' quarters during WWII, back in the days before anyone took their dogs to a vet, and all the dogs ran loose. There was a rabies epidemic when my mom was pregnant with me, and every human had to line up every day for three weeks to get a rabies vaccine injection (in the belly!) (My parents' dog could not be saved, however, nor could many of the others).

I claim that as my excuse for being totally dog crazy. I spend my days on Facebook sharing photos of dogs in urgent need of rescue. I'm on my sixth rescue dog right now, all five pounds of him. I can't imagine life without at least one dog. If I ever won the lottery, I'd open a dog rescue ranch (with a vet on staff).

But for some reason, writing about dogs never occurs to me. So I love that you do it, Peter. (Needless to say, someone as dog nutty as I am would love to read WOOF, and I'll also suggest it to my sister, who buys children's and YA books for the San Francisco Public Library.) Good luck!

My husband and I met Peter at the Tucson Book Festival last year, and had the privilege of telling him in person how much we enjoy his books. Our dog, Skye, is also a book fan, having eaten her share as a pup. And as my husband said, "She didn't even have a library card."

Hi. My husband and i have had dogs our whole lives. Our first dog together was a lab spaniel mix named maggie mae. We also had a greyhound named focus. Our current greyhound is named layla. We discovered chet and bernie together and used to quote bits of the books to each other. My hudband passed.away last year and i feel sad that he will miss woof and all the new chet and bernie books. I would love to win a copy of woof.

And thanks to Diane for reminding us of A Night in the Lonesome October. Fabulous book. Now I have to see if I can find my copy...

Dax and Jasmine (our one and two-year-old German shepherd girls) say they would like to read WOOF, too. And that they would really like to have some cool adventures. Do you think WOOF will give them ideas?

I'm a dual US/Canadian citizen so I hope I'm still eligible for the draw.No dog has adopted me yet so my 2 favorite dogs are Chet the Jet, and Dorg, an Aussie dog in a frame who lives on my wall. I am anticipating reading "Woof" and having Bowser become another of my favorite dogs.

I love Spencer Quinn's lighter side. I've been carrying around "Pressure Drop" for a couple months trying to work up enough courage to read it.

Thanks to those high-energy JRR masthead writers for having me here today. I've enjoyed it so much! Good luck to Hank and all of them with whatever they're working on now. A place like this is a great antidote to the aloneness of the writing life.

My parents gave me a dachshund when I was 6. Her name was Ollie (after Olive Boston, a schoolmate)Gretchen (German name, of course), von Enfield (don't know where that came from), Magrath (maiden name), cousin of Dutchess (my cousins' dog). I haven't had a dog since, but I do have a lovely cat named Sasha. Now than I'm retired, I'm thinking of volunteering with dogs at the Humane Society. As for the author, I've read all of the Chet and Bernie books and can't wait for the next. The new series sounds like a hoot as well!

Peter, I'm looking forward to reading Woof and other Spencer Quinn books featuring our canine friends, but it will have to wait a bit. I had to have my precious Australian Cattle Dog put down today. Abbie was 15 1/2 years old, and had suddenly in the last few days become unable to walk and wasn't eating well. Today she had a horrific seizure, and there was no doubt about the course of action. I had said something here about six weeks ago that I thought we might have to put her down, but we were able to let her have a little more time.

I do think your books will be amazing to read and look forward to them. I actually have read Down the Rabbit Hole and found it to be a wonderful read.

Great interview involving two of my most favorite authors. And thanks Hank for helping spread the word about this terrific new series from Spencer Quinn/Peter Abrahams. As for the canine in this family, it is one already known to Spence in another universe, a two year old golden retriever known as Teddy Roosevelt Ruff Rider.

Our first family dog when I was a kid was named Poochie. He followed me home and I accidently let him in the house. Honest! He was very sweet. Through the years we've had other great dogs. Now we have Patrick,my son's dog who is named after Pat Metheny, the musician. Patrick the dog, at four years old has enough energy for ten dogs. I love Chet and Bernie.

Our current dogs are named "Sammy" and "Pudge". Pudge is an athletic 10+yr old pitbull; we've had her since she was a pup. We just got Sammy about a year ago; she's now two years old and we were her 4th home in a year. She's teachable, but not exactly a thinker. She is very pretty, though, and often reminds me of Chet. Sometimes she gets so excited she just has to let out a quick bark and then looks around like "who was that?"

My dogs are Chloe, a mini dachshund, and Sadie, a smallish rescue dog my vet tech calls a forest creature as she is such an unusual mix. I'm also keeping my daughter's three dogs while their house is for sale - a storm-terrified terrier and my Chloe's two very fast dachshund sisters. Oh yes, add four cats into the mix!

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